Homes, offices, buildings, and public or recreational areas (e.g., parks, bridges and the like) use fencing to form protective barriers for stairways, decks, balconies and the like. Such systems are useful for preventing children, pets and adults from unintentionally stepping into dangerous areas (e.g., a balcony or a bridge). Typically, such systems involve balusters (e.g., made of wood, metal, or plastic) mounted to railings. Several types of railing systems are known. In one example, the railing system has horizontal barriers extending between generally vertically-oriented railings. In such cases, children or pets may accidentally step on the horizontal barriers and endanger themselves. Vertical barriers on the other hand, prevent users from climbing on to the railing system. In some examples, at least a portion of the railing system can be partially transparent, so that the barriers provide a view past the fence. One type of vertical railing systems include metal balusters that are mounted separately to railings by bolting or welding. Other railings systems can include balusters made of wood or polymer materials that are mounted between wood or polymer moldings. For instance, the railing system may include pickets fastened (e.g., threaded, friction or press-fitted) in appropriate holes in the railings.
Conventional railing systems are bulky and have a labor-intensive assembly procedure. Additionally, if railings or balusters suffer damage (e.g., due to user negligence or accidents) removing and replacing damaged balusters can be time consuming. As conventional balusters are often fitted within holes in the railings, removing a single baluster can damage the railings and/or adjacent balusters. Thick balusters and pickets also block any views past them and lead to a cluttered and/or bulky look.